Looking back: Man shot, robbed in his backyard and four people miraculously walk away after plane crash
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IDAHO FALLS — EastIdahoNews.com is looking back at what life was like during the week of July 8 to July 14 in east Idaho history.
1900-1925
POCATELLO — A man was shot and robbed in the backyard of his home, The Bingham County News reported on July 11, 1912.
C.A. Valentine, president of the Farmers and Traders Bank, lost two diamonds in the robbery. He also received bullet wounds in his right leg, which ended up needing to be amputated at his knee.
“(He) is resting easy at the general hospital,” the paper mentioned.
1926-1950
POCATELLO — Four Idahoans “escaped death” after being in a plane crash in Butte Montana, The Post-Register reported on July 11, 1932, from an article originally shared by The Associated Press.
Ralph Knapp, of Pocatello, was the pilot. His passengers were A.H. Hegler and Billy Crew, both of Pocatello, and J. Williams, of Boise.
“Knapp cracked up the plane when he was forced to land on rough terrain near the airport here,” the article states. “The craft was wrecked but the occupants suffered nothing worse than minor cuts and bruises.”
1951-1975
RIGBY — A Rigby High School teacher was rewarded for “a curriculum improvement idea,” The Rigby Star reported on July 13, 1972.
J.D. Lowder, science teacher, was presented a check for $25 from the Board of Trustees of School District No. 251 after he presented a way for “improving mathematics and science teaching.”
“His idea was to have a special lab class for mathematics where calculators would be available for student use,” the local paper wrote. “Mr. Lowder experimented, using a solid state calculator in one of his classes this past year, and remarked that the results has been remarkable.”
He said, “Problems that took 10 to 15 minutes to do could be done in 5 or 10 seconds. I have noticed students looking rather dazed when they still remembered the problem when they had the answer.”
The paper mentioned the school district hoped to provide more calculators for math and science classes.
1976-2000
BANCROFT– Four cars of the Pocatello-Wooley Valley Local derailed on the Union Pacific tracks, The Caribou County Sun reported on July 8, 1976.
The accident happened on the east switch east of Bancroft. The four cars, filled with raw phosphate ore, were in the middle of a 67-car train. The derailed cars were enroute to Silverbow, Montana.
“Union Pacific officially said the cause of the derailment was not known,” the article said. “There were no injuries. About 200 to 300 feet of track were taken out.”